Personal, self-balancing vehicles, such as the “SEGWAY”-brand Human Transporter, have emerged as a new method of transportation. In existing systems, such as the self-balancing vehicles shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,091, the personal vehicles are self-propelled and user-guidable. No more than two wheels support the vehicle and do so only along the lateral plane. The vehicles therefore require dynamic stabilization in the fore-aft plane.
The stabilization of the self-balancing vehicles in the fore-aft plane is coupled to translational movement of the vehicles. The translational movement is designed to mirror the process of human walking. For example, if a user standing on a platform of an initially balanced vehicle leans forward, thereby offsetting the balance, the vehicle moves forward to regain balance just as in walking a leg moves forward to regain balance. The vehicles balance in the fore-aft plane with the help of software-running computers, tilt sensors, and gyroscopes. Gyroscopic sensors are used to detect fore and aft tilting of the platform on the device which indicates a departure from stabilization in the fore-aft plane. Servo drive motors rotate the wheels forward or backward as needed for balance and propulsion. In this manner, the user accelerates or decelerates by leaning forward or backward in the direction the user wishes to travel. By leaning left or right, or using of a “lean steer” handlebar, or by using other directional devices such as a rotating handle, enables turning the vehicle left or right via differential rotation of one wheel with respect to the other.
Many self-balancing vehicles are driven by electric motors at up to 5.6 m/s (12.5 mph, 20 km/h) and can travel as far as 24 miles on a single battery charge. This enables the vehicles to cover distances typically limited to bicycles or cars. However, their small size enables the vehicles to transport users in many places that a car or bicycle cannot, including inside buildings, elevators, trains, and the like.
The self-balancing vehicles typically contain a standing platform. The standing platform serves as the means of supporting the user on the vehicle and defines a point of balance along the fore-aft plane. The platforms typically have a weight-sensitive sensor to indicate to the computer when a rider has fully mounted the vehicle. This prevents unexpected movement of the vehicle before and during engaging the vehicle.
The fact that such personal vehicles, e.g., the “SEGWAY”-brand Human Transporter, consists only of a standing platform requires that a user must be able to stand to use them. Were it not for this characteristic, these vehicles would serve as a valuable tool to provide mobility for individuals with lower-limb disabilities. In contrast, U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,294 and related patents and applications (U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,004,271, 7,273,116, and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/852,767) describe self-balancing vehicles with seats. The seats allow users to operate the vehicles while seated. These seats are either permanently attached to the vehicles or are removable. However, in either case, the seats prohibit easy operation of the vehicles in both standing and sitting positions while the seat is attached to the vehicles.
Thus, the foregoing described systems provide options for users to operate self-balancing vehicles while either standing or sitting but not both. However, none of the systems describe supports for self-balancing vehicles that allow operation of the vehicle from both standing and sitting positions while the support remains attached to the vehicle. Such a device would be useful for users who have the ability to stand for only limited periods of time. Thus, a long-felt need exists for supports for self-balancing vehicles that allow operation of the vehicle from both standing and sitting positions while the support is attached to the vehicle, and without any modifications to alternate between seated riding and standing riding.